India reassures Sri Lanka over nuclear power plant

India yesterday in a statement gave some reassurances over the nuclear power plant in its Southern state following series of news reports raising fears of the dangers to Sri Lanka arising from the commissioning of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in southern India.

The statement issued by the Indian High Commission is as follows.

It bears repetition that the Government of India assigns utmost attention to nuclear and radiation safety, including the safety of operating personnel, public as well as the environment.  The principle of ‘safety being the overriding priority’ encompasses the entire gamut of activities associated with nuclear power plants, ranging from sitting, design, construction, commissioning, operation to de-commissioning. Testing to demonstrate the adequacy of each system and the plant as a whole by actual performance tests to meet the design intent is carried out well before commencing operation of the plant. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board reviews the operational limits and conditions for various system parameters and approves them before operationalising the plant, to ensure safe operation. 

All nuclear power plant sites in India are capable of managing the radioactive wastes generated at these sites.  Each of them has adequate facilities for handling, treatment and disposal of such waste, in line with international standards. The establishment and verification of appropriate emergency response plans is a mandatory prerequisite for all nuclear power plants in India.  The preparedness of the agencies involved is verified through periodic exercises.

The National Disaster Management Authority has drawn up a holistic and integrated program for ‘Management of Nuclear and Radiological Emergencies’. India is party to the Convention on Nuclear Safety (1994), Convention on Early Notification of  a Nuclear Accident (1986), and the Convention on Assistance in the case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency and is fully aware of, and complies with, its obligations under these conventions. The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant is a state-of-the-art plant that is compliant with the highest safety standards available in the nuclear industry today.  The safety measures instituted at the plant are of the highest order.

India and Sri Lanka have an ongoing dialogue on cooperation in the area of nuclear energy, including in the areas of isotope hydrology, radio-tracer studies and dam safety. A Sri Lankan delegation is scheduled to visit India in the coming months to discuss these and other areas of potential cooperation, including the area of safety. The relevant issues are being addressed in the spirit of close and friendly relations existing between India and Sri Lanka.